Renault Kwid-Based EV In The Works

Renault has been vocal about its emphasis on the adoption of EVs in the European market and will soon be bringing a Kwid-inspired EV to India as well

EVs are slowly, but certainly, shaping up to become the next big thing. And with the 2030 EV adoption master plan in sight, Renault has confirmed that it’s going to bring in a relatively affordable EV (by EV standards) for Indian buyers by the year 2022. Moreover, the company representatives have also emphasised the importance of EVs in their "Drive The Future 2017-2022" strategic plan.

The company plans to electrify 60 per cent of its complete lineup by the year 2022 and will have an EV in India as well. This EV will based on the CMF-A (common module family architecture) platform which is used on Renault Kwid, Datsun Redi-Go and will also be doing duties on the upcoming Kwid based MPV. The platform can be easily moulded to fit an electric powertrain and battery pack, thanks to its flexible nature.

There have been talks of the Renault Kwid EV making it to the Chinese market in a couple of years as it is the fastest growing EV market in the world right now. Given the generous amount of subsidies on EVs in the neighbouring country, Renault plans to initially launch it there and bring it to India later on, when they believe the time is ripe and their EV can clock respectable sales numbers.

The race for EVs has been heating up in the past couple of months in India with the Government acquiring a total of 10,000 EVs from indigenous manufacturers like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. Renault’s subsidiary, Nissan, had also placed a bid for the substantial order but couldn’t acquire it. So expect a competitive comeback, in terms of pricing, from Renault when they bring the Kwid EV to the Indian market.